Sarah S. Thomas

As many of us know, getting a work authorization from the U.S. as an international employee can be extremely stressful because there is nothing guaranteed. I am very thankful that my employer was willing to sponsor me and I am equally thankful if not more that I have found Sarah. We had misunderstand...ings in the process because the legal system is just so confusing and I am not familiar with all the legal terms and processes. However, Sarah was willing and able to hear my concerns, complains, and fears and she went above and beyond her professional responsibilities during this process. She worked extra hours for documentation to gain as much time as possible after we got on the same page. We set up a conference call and she called in when she just got to a hotel where she had a conference even before she checked in after her flight to collaborate with another coworker to create the best plan for my case. No one would blame her if she has taken some time for herself but she placed my needs first when I needed her the most. As an international employee, I often feel helpless, exhausted, angry and terrified when it comes to getting the work authorization or any process because I am not familiar with the system and NO ONE can guarantee anything, and I am in trouble if there anything goes wrong, such as out of status, and it's not-preferred to return to my home country due to various reasons. From this experience, I have learned that the process can be as stressful for lawyers if not more because it's not fun to be responsible for someone and it's a lot of pressure to think that any mistakes can change an international employ's life. Establishing the trust between us was the key to our successful experiences. We both were honest with each other and we both were willing to communicate with each other. Sarah was extremely considerate of my needs and stress level and responded my emails or phone calls with a timely manner and I was proactive to follow up with her on the progress of my case. It was extremely helpful that she provides details explanations of what is happening and the timeline of what to expect. Sarah has demonstrated her expertise in employment law, great communication and problem solving skills, willingness to collaborate with others for the best interest of her client, and her personal caring for her client, which was the hope I had during the stressful waiting period. I wanted a local law firm because I prefer person to person contact. Though Sarah is located in a different city, the local law firm office in my city was friendly and willing to collaborate to support the process. After I received my H1B, Sarah traveled from her city to my city to treat my HR staff and me a lovely lunch. It was nice to finally meet her in person after all those emails and phone calls. I highly recommend Sarah without any reservation. For any international employee who is seeking legal service, I highly encourage you to collaborate with your lawyer and connect with them from a human level first so you can see them as humans who have feelings and struggles before see them as lawyers. Don't be afraid! Currently, I am in a process of discussing the possibilities for permanent residency sponsorship with my employer and I would love to continue to work with Sarah if my employer agreed.